Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: ENVIRONMENT AND WASTE

Sense: 1-5
Date: 1200-1300
Origin: WASTE2
Sense: 6
Date: 1100-1200
Language: Old North French
Origin: wast, from wast (adjective); WASTE3

waste

1 noun
     
waste1 S2 W3
1

bad use

[singular, uncountable] when something such as money or skills are not used in a way that is effective, useful, or sensible
waste of
Being unemployed is such a waste of your talents.
Many believe that state aid is a waste of taxpayers' money.
What a waste of all that good work!
excessive waste in state spending
2

go to waste

if something goes to waste, it is not used:
Don't let all this food go to waste.
3

be a waste of time/money/effort etc

to be not worth the time, money etc that you use because there is little or no result:
We should never have gone - it was a total waste of time.
4

unwanted materials

[uncountable] unwanted materials or substances that are left after you have used something:
The emphasis now is on recycling household waste.
industrial/chemical etc waste
proposals to end the dumping of industrial waste into rivers and seas
waste pipes
the disposal of hazardous waste
5

a waste of space

spoken someone who has no good qualities
6

land

SG

wastes

[plural] literary a large area of land where there are very few people, plants, or animals
wastes of
the icy wastes of Antarctica
Definition of waste from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic ENVIRONMENT AND WASTE
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The ENVIRONMENT AND WASTE
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toxic waste

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